Nawab Mir Qasim Ali Khan van Bengalen c. 1755 - 1765

Editor: We're looking at a watercolour, *Nawab Mir Qasim Ali Khan van Bengalen,* made anonymously sometime between 1755 and 1765. It’s incredibly detailed and seems to capture a very specific moment. What story do you think this piece is telling? Curator: It whispers of power, doesn't it? But power laced with a peculiar stillness. Look at Mir Qasim, so meticulously rendered, almost floating on that opulent cushion. He’s the picture of authority, yet the scene feels less about domination and more about quiet observation. Does it feel that way for you too? I wonder about those musicians flanking him. Editor: They seem out of sync with everything else. So static and...pale, in a way. What about the woman across from him? Curator: Ah, now there's a captivating figure! Notice how she meets his gaze directly? It's not confrontational, but rather knowing, self-assured. I bet the story of her is untold and compelling. Don't you think there is a certain elegance to the way everything has been constructed: figures, foreground and background, creating layers of perspectives. It also evokes such a different pace of life compared to our frantic one. What would you do if you lived then? Editor: It’s interesting how the painting seems to pose so many more questions than answers. Now I'm thinking about that calm pace and what I'd miss from my hectic one. Curator: Exactly! Isn't that the joy of art? This little window into the past invites us not just to look, but to imagine, to question, and perhaps, to discover something new about ourselves in the process. Editor: That's so true. Thanks, this has definitely given me a new way to appreciate it.